Telly Savalas
Co-starred with Angie Dickinson in the 1964 film *The Killers*.
wolfgang.mller54 from Niedersachsen /Germany · CC BY 2.0
Telly Savalas is an American actor who appeared in the 1964 film *The Killers*, which was originally intended to be the first made-for-television movie but was released to theaters due to its violent content. In that film, he acted alongside Angie Dickinson and future U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Reagan's last movie role.
- born
- January 21, 1924, Garden City, New York
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Lore & Background
Savalas appeared in the 1964 film *The Killers*, a remake of the 1946 version based on a story by Ernest Hemingway. Directed by Don Siegel, the film was originally intended to be the first made-for-television movie but was released to theaters due to its violent content and entertainment value. It was the only film Ronald Reagan made in which he was cast as a villain. In one scene, Reagan viciously slaps Angie Dickinson. Savalas also appeared in the 1971 dark comedy *Pretty Maids All in a Row*, directed by Roger Vadim and written and produced by Gene Roddenberry. That film also starred Rock Hudson and Angie Dickinson, who played a lascivious substitute high-school teacher. *Pretty Maids All In A Row* drew hostile critical reviews and was a box-office failure.
Reader's Guide
For fans of Angie Dickinson, Telly Savalas is a notable co-star in two of her films. In *The Killers* (1964), he was part of a cast that included Dickinson as a femme fatale and Ronald Reagan as a villain. In *Pretty Maids All in a Row* (1971), he joined Dickinson and Rock Hudson in a dark comedy about a high school teacher who seduces a student, a film that was both a critical and commercial failure.
Did You Know?
- Telly Savalas co-starred with Angie Dickinson in the 1964 film *The Killers*.
- *The Killers* was originally intended to be the first made-for-television movie.
- Ronald Reagan played a villain in *The Killers*, the only film in which he did so.
- In *The Killers*, Reagan's character viciously slaps Angie Dickinson.
- Savalas also appeared with Dickinson in the 1971 film *Pretty Maids All in a Row*.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Telly Savalas?
He was an American film and television actor whose shaved head and booming baritone made him instantly recognizable on screen. His birth name was Aristotelis Savalas, and he was born in Garden City, New York, in 1924.
What roles made Telly Savalas famous?
He is most associated with the wisecracking NYPD lieutenant Theo Kojak, a character he carried across five seasons of a 1970s crime series. He also brought the mastermind Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld to life in a 1969 James Bond film.
What was Telly Savalas's physical appearance like?
His completely bald head and stocky build became his trademark, and he leaned into that look for decades of his career. Paired with his rich, low-register voice, it gave him a commanding screen presence that few actors of his era matched.
Where and when was Telly Savalas born?
He entered the world on January 21, 1924, in the Long Island community of Garden City, New York.
Why is Telly Savalas considered a classic Hollywood icon?
His two signature characters—a gruff New York cop and the scheming Bond antagonist—cemented his place in popular culture during the late 1960s and 1970s. Even decades later, fans still recognize his voice and bald silhouette from those performances.
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